The best way to prepare for your career? Get real experience before it starts.

This fall, we're teaming up with Notre Dame Athletics to launch the SoFi Creator Lab, a year-long, paid career development program for student-athletes interested in content, marketing and media careers. The program, part of SoFi's partnership with Notre Dame Athletics, will provide coaching to student-athletes from SoFi Career Coach and Notre Dame alum Natalie Marshall, best known as Corporate Natalie, and members of SoFi's award-winning Brand team. The inaugural class of four student-athletes will be selected to build a professional portfolio and develop practical skills in content strategy that they can apply well beyond college.

"One of the biggest lessons I've learned is that the best career experience comes from actually doing the work. I love that SoFi and Notre Dame Athletics are giving student-athletes the chance to create alongside a brand, see how ideas come to life, and build skills they can carry into whatever comes next," said Corporate Natalie.

"Notre Dame student-athletes bring incredible ambition, passion and drive to everything they do. With the SoFi Creator Lab, we saw an opportunity to build on that momentum with real-world experience that can open doors and empower them to pursue opportunities throughout their careers," said SoFi CMO Lauren Stafford Webb.

The SoFi Creator Lab is open to Notre Dame junior and senior student-athletes in good standing* who show a passion for creating in all kinds of ways, including social content, podcasts, blogs, and more.

Here's what they can expect:

• Hands-On Training: Where they'll learn about social media marketing, building communities, developing content, and measuring the impact of their work.
• Real-World Experience: Creating content that educates and engages people across a range of financial topics.
• Path to a Paid Internship: Build on their experience through a paid summer internship with SoFi or a partner organization, designed to accommodate student-athletes' demanding schedules.

Here's what we're asking applicants to submit:

• Explain a financial topic to a freshman: Choose a topic like budgeting, saving or investing. Make it in whatever form you're best in: video, audio, writing or design. We're looking for you to make a topic that can seem intimidating feel manageable.
• Complete a brief written response of 1,000 words or less. Here's what we want to know. And yes, creativity is encouraged.
• • Tell us about yourself and how you see yourself as a creator.
  • Why are you applying to the SoFi Creator Lab, and how do you think the program will help you achieve your professional goals?
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, how confident do you feel talking about money? (It's okay if the answer is 1!)
  • What brands do you think work with creators the right way?
  • What does financial independence mean to you?

Student-athletes should feel free to include links to previous work, if relevant.

Applications open September 10 and close October 15. Interested student-athletes can register at https://www.sofi.com/creatorlab/.

To learn more about the partnership between SoFi and Notre Dame Athletics, please visit https://www.sofi.com/notredame/.

Disclosures:

*Open only to current, full-time undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Notre Dame who meet all of the following criteria at the time of entry: (1) maintained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; (2) enrolled as a Junior or Senior; and (3) currently participating as a recognized student-athlete in a varsity athletic program. Eligibility subject to verification by the University.

SoFi's loans are not offered or made by Notre Dame; they are made by SoFi Bank, N.A., which is not affiliated with the school. Notre Dame does not endorse SoFi's loans. SoFi is a corporate sponsor for Notre Dame Athletics.